André’s passion turned to painting early this century with the encouragement of friends like Pierre Bernard who urged him “to get out of the frame.” Such advice was just the right thing to say to a man who freely admits that “I love to be challenged.” Desjardins has embraced the freedom that pigment and canvas provide, to develop his “Visual Emotionism” style (simultaneously expressionist and humanist) that fuses the figurative with the abstract and tells the stories of those he has encountered.
Although Desjardins credits the Spanish painter Antoni Tàpies with having the greatest influence on his artistic style (primarily because of Tàpies devotion to making the insignificant significant and his evolution from surrealist to abstract impressionist), it was the death of his father when he was only twelve years old that was the most profound influence on his life and his art, for it has motivated André “to make him live again in my own accomplishments.”
The art of Desjardins, the founder of “Visual Emotionism,” reaches out to touch the soul as it awaits the emotional reaction of the viewer for its completion. Like the conductor of a great symphony, Desjardin uses his hands to add both emphasis and nuance to his works, for each is a representation of humanity energized by the emotions of the artist himself.
As Desjardins’ paintings continue to evolve, the melding of the old and the new, the Da Vinci with the Jackson Pollock, becomes more and more apparent. The fact that Desjardins chooses to create directly on the canvas serves to intensify the emotions instilled in each work as it tells its story with eloquence and passion and, through a closely guarded proprietary technique, crackling is induced to emphasize the fragility of life and add the feel of the old masters to each creation.
Copyright © American Design Ltd. 2009
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